I know that a lot of gun owners make it a policy to never sell a gun, but I have often bought, sold, and traded many different guns. Sometimes I have regretted doing so, and recently missed having a 4" .357 Magnum.
I had, in the past, owned a nice pre-lock S&W 686 Plus which was really a fine piece. Ended up selling it to a friend. I found that replacing that one with a similar vintage was going to be pricey, and examples don't show up around my neck of the woods that often.
I then considered a new version of the 686 (I intended to remove and plug the unnecessary and poorly designed IL) along with a Ruger GP100. I'd never had a GP before, but after researching, found that most people have a favorable opinion of them.
Off to the gun shop I went. Doing a side by side comparison, the Ruger actually had a smoother trigger than the Smith. Was it as good as my old 686? No, not quite as smooth, but close although the pull was quite a bit heavier.
Ended up buying the Ruger for $200 (or more) less than I would have paid for an older 686. Spent another $60 on Wolff reduced power springs (12 lb hammer, 10 lb trigger return) and Altamont grips. The stock Hogue finger grooves didn't fit my fingers quite right, and the Altamonts look nicer.
While it may not be quite as refined as a classic 686, the GP shoots great, looks decent, and does have a few advantages over the Smith- no threaded ejector rod to come unscrewed, rubber over the backstrap for reduced felt recoil, easy to re-spring, trigger assembly comes out for easy cleaning.
I had, in the past, owned a nice pre-lock S&W 686 Plus which was really a fine piece. Ended up selling it to a friend. I found that replacing that one with a similar vintage was going to be pricey, and examples don't show up around my neck of the woods that often.
I then considered a new version of the 686 (I intended to remove and plug the unnecessary and poorly designed IL) along with a Ruger GP100. I'd never had a GP before, but after researching, found that most people have a favorable opinion of them.
Off to the gun shop I went. Doing a side by side comparison, the Ruger actually had a smoother trigger than the Smith. Was it as good as my old 686? No, not quite as smooth, but close although the pull was quite a bit heavier.
Ended up buying the Ruger for $200 (or more) less than I would have paid for an older 686. Spent another $60 on Wolff reduced power springs (12 lb hammer, 10 lb trigger return) and Altamont grips. The stock Hogue finger grooves didn't fit my fingers quite right, and the Altamonts look nicer.
While it may not be quite as refined as a classic 686, the GP shoots great, looks decent, and does have a few advantages over the Smith- no threaded ejector rod to come unscrewed, rubber over the backstrap for reduced felt recoil, easy to re-spring, trigger assembly comes out for easy cleaning.
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